1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a differential assembly for automotive vehicles, and more particularly to an apparatus for connecting a differential assembly and an output shaft for automotive vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, there are many known differential mechanisms in the prior art which are used to compensate for the slipping of one of the drive wheels of a pair of drive wheels of a vehicle.
The differential assembly, as shown in FIG. 3, comprises a ring gear 51 connected with a transmission (T) and fixed to a housing 50, a pinion gear 53 for meshing with a rotating shaft 52 within the housing 50, a side gear 54 engaged with the pinion gear 53, and an output shaft 56 inserted at one end thereof into the side gear 54 and mounted thereon with a joint 55 by suitable splines disposed therebetween (not shown).
Meanwhile, there is provided with an oil sealing member 57 between the housing 50 and the output shaft 56 to seal the differential assembly.
During normal operation a ring gear 51 is rotated by the torque output from the transmission (T), and the output shaft 56 rotates with the pinion gear 53 and the side gear 54 meshed in engagemt with the ring gear 51.
At this location, the side gear 54 and the output shaft 56 are interlinked by suitable splines. The side gear 54 and the output shaft 56 as shown in FIG. 4, are connected through a groove 58 formed on one end of the output shaft 56. A clip 59 is inserted within the groove 58 and elastically, protrudingly mounted within the output shaft groove 58, and a recess 60 formed on the side gear 54 for receiving the peripheral portion of the clip 59 when being mounted in the groove 58.
That is to say, the side gear 54 and the output shaft 56 are assembled together while the clip 59 is retained in the groove 58 provided in the output shaft 56. Thereafter the clip 59 is extended in a peripheral direction thereof by its elastic force and is partly received into the recess 60, thereby preventing the side gear 54 from being separated from the output shaft 56.
However, there is a problem in such a structure for connecting the side gear and the output shaft according to the prior art thus constructed, in that when the output shaft and the side gear are assembled while the clip is engaged within the groove contained in the output shaft, the exposed portion of the clip extending out of the groove causes the oil seal to become damaged which passing through the housing of the transmission.
There is another problem in that the output shaft becomes separated from the side gear when the clip, due to wear and tear shrinks within the groove contained in the output shaft in response to a drop in its elastic force.